New-buy Situations and Emerging Public Buying Centers

The buying center concept and various buying situations are core components of industrial marketing research. Currently, organisational buying literature neglects public buying and has difficulties understanding new-buy situations involving innovation processes. Based on an exploratory case study, we examine four pre-commercial procurement projects which provide valuable insight into new-buy situations that involve innovation processes. Firms (suppliers) collaborate with public organisations (customers) and learn about emerging public buying centers throughout the projects. We contribute with a model highlighting the value of collaboration between firms and public organisations based on information sharing, expectation alignment and strategic repositioning. Over time, the collaboration supports firms and public organisations to influence and identify emerging buying centers and gain understanding of how they are organised and operate and the decision-makers within them.